Rice is the staple food of the inhabitants of Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, it was a major crop as early as 1000 B.C.Sri Lankan cuisine consists mainly of boiled or steamed rice served with curry. Another well-known rice dish is Kiribath, meaning "milk rice."Many traditional sweets like kavum(oil cakes), Kokis (Deep Fried Batter of Flour & Coconut Milk)are made with rice flour.

Rice features in many legends about the Buddha's life it is also said that rice cooked in ghee or clarified butter is said to have been the favorite food of the Prophet Muhammad. 'Deyyange haal kawila', meaning 'having eaten God's rice' is a saying found in Sri Lankan folklore, which is used to explain a crazy person or his actions in general with humor. This is a saying which has come about from Sri Lankan ritual that is part of the harvesting festival. When the rice harvest is collected, a small fraction of the best part is dedicated to the gods and this portion of rice is considered to be sacred - if a person eats that, they will be afflicted with curses and lose mental stability.

Rice can be used to treat skin conditions. The rice is boiled, drained, allowed to cool and then mashed. This is made into a paste or molded into balls and these can be applied to boils, sores, swellings and skin blemishes. Sticky glutinous rice is often taken to treat stomach upsets, heart-burn and indigestion. Rice extracts like starch and oil are used in a range of cosmetic and hygiene products. They are considered to have moisturizing and nourishing effects on the hair and skin. Extracts containing rice protein are added to hair products to give a feeling of volume and thickness to the hair. It is also reported to have moisturizing and anti-ageing properties.

Traditional varieties of Sri Lankan rice are known to contain higher amounts of glutamic acid, higher concentrations of vitamins and the coarse grains are also richer in fiber content. They are also said to have a high nutritive value. Different historical records (The Tripitaka, Mahawaggapaliya, Charaka Sanhithawa) reveal that traditional rice varieties were revered for their nutritional and medicinal properties.

(Also see Nutritional Facts and Recipes.)